Lube for Black Powder??

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  • Last Post 24 February 2016
kevo posted this 15 July 2013

Would love to hear what you all are using in your black powder loads. I'm interested in tumble, pan and lubesizer types, both home made and commercial. If you include a recipe, please note that I am a BASIC cook and some advice on quantities and methods would be appreciated. (I can do 45-45-10 Recluse for smokeless powders ) Cheers, Kevo. :cowboy:

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Dale53 posted this 15 July 2013

Kevo; I shot BPCR Silhouette for about fifteen years. My lube of choice was Emmert's home mix. Melted volume: Pure Natural Beeswax 50%, Crisco 40%,and Canola Oil 10%. I modified Emmerts for better shelf life replacing the Canola Oil with Anhydrous Lanolin.

This is an excellent pan lube (I use 9” cake pans from the thrift store) and also works well in Lube/Sizers.

SPG is a good, but expensive commercial lube.

I have used that formula for successful silhouette and long range work with 40/65's and 45/70. It also works extremely well for black powder cartridge pistol (.45 Colt, etc)..

FWIW Dale53

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kevo posted this 15 July 2013

Thanks Dale, that sounds like a nice easy recipe with materials that I can source.

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nimrod posted this 15 July 2013

I've been using a lube that I make (not my recipe) somebody else did the home work but it does seem to work very well, still expermenting though.

7 parts beeswax 3 parts dexron tranny fluid 3 parts lanolin

Someody will start screaming about using a petroleum product with blackpowder. But tranny fluid is some special stuff and this lube does work very well at least in cooler weather I have not shot it in hot weather but I'm about to find out.

RB

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R. Dupraz posted this 16 July 2013

For the past ten yrs or more, I have been useing my own BP lube. It isn't a long laundry list of strange ingredients but a simple 50/50 mixture of pure bees wax and olive oil, with a dash of anhydrous lanoline added. And heated in a double boiler. Then poured in airtight Tupper ware type containers for storage.

When pan lubing, I just take some chunks out of the containers and put them into an old perculator coffee pot. The pot gets just hot enough to allow the lube to be poured over the bullets in the pan.

The lube also works with smokeless when breach seating.

RD

RD

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John Grantham posted this 16 July 2013

Dale53 wrote: Kevo; I shot BPCR Silhouette for about fifteen years. My lube of choice was Emmert's home mix. Melted volume: Pure Natural Beeswax 50%, Crisco 40%,and Canola Oil 10%. I modified Emmerts for better shelf life replacing the Canola Oil with Anhydrous Lanolin.

This is an excellent pan lube (I use 9” cake pans from the thrift store) and also works well in Lube/Sizers.

SPG is a good, but expensive commercial lube.

I have used that formula for successful silhouette and long range work with 40/65's and 45/70. It also works extremely well for black powder cartridge pistol (.45 Colt, etc)..

FWIW Dale53

I have spent a great deal of time shooting BP “Sillywets". I think Dale53 is spot on.

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richidaho posted this 16 July 2013

Dear Kevo,

I have been using one of many
1 part Bees wax 1 part Crisco, Butter (unsalted) or Lard 1 part any vegetable oil (canola, olive ect)

They all seem to work well some with longer shelf lives then others. I have been shooting the Butter version this year (I like the smell.) Been using in 40-65 and 45-90.

Rich L

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John Boy posted this 18 July 2013

I've tried many BPCR lubes and settled on: 40% mutton tallow 40% paraffin - an alkane 20% bees wax http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alkane

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Ed Harris posted this 18 July 2013

I use Ed's Modified Emerts, substituting Dextron ATF for the canola, and hzve for years.

73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia

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kevo posted this 19 July 2013

Been rainin' cats & dogs today, so I have mixed up a batch of 50% beeswax, 40% Crico and 10% anhydrous lanolin. Real easy to make, no smell or mess (apart from my careless slip!!)and it was very easy to pour onto boolits sitting in a little cake baking tray. Only did 20 to try, so I'm keen to send them down range on Sunday. ( 500 yd target day ) I'm feelin' pretty confident!!

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ubetcha posted this 21 July 2013

Can any of these lubes be used on a muzzle loader? I have a T/C 50cal Hawken and have a maxi-ball mould .It would be less messy if I could pan lube these rather than smear lube in the grooves

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delmarskid1 posted this 21 July 2013

Ubetcha!

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Dirtybore posted this 28 January 2014

I've used both SPG and Lyman's Black Powder Gold. They both work well but at a price$$$$$$$. I haven't had time for mixing lubes and that's one fight I don't want to have with my other half. I do enough unauthorized uses of her stove so don't want to push that one.

Will either SPG or Lyman's Black Powder Gold work in muzzleloaders? Yes but in my opinion you're better off using TC's bore butter on your Minnie bullets or Maxi balls. Normally I use saliva with patched round balls but while hunting with patched round balls or anytime using Minnie bullets, I use TC's bore butter.

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delmarskid1 posted this 28 January 2014

I like the softness of bore butter when I apply it to bullets at the loading/shooting bench. The stuff gets runny on hot days and that is when the other bullet lubes are nice to use. Last summer I tried SPG on a cloth patch and it was miserable. I was using tight patches and the combination would not go down the barrel. Crisco is good on muzzle loading bullets and makes a good patch lube. Low temp greases and bees wax lubes can be melted together on a cut down electric coffee maker. This will get you out of the kitchen and the attendants attached to it.

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corerf posted this 01 February 2014

Emmert's. 60/40 bw and crisco. Sub tallow for crisco if avail. A little bit of canola oil as well. I eyeball it. Adjust ratio and canola to generate the temp stability you need. It's warm in so cal all the time, I use a bit less oil and maybe adjust a bit heavy on bw by a percent or two.

I store in fridge in garage to keep it solid.

I also soak 1 inch wide strips about 18 inch long in it, pillow ticking. Then strips cooks in it for a few mins to penetrate fully. Take out, let cool while flat. I wring it out with my fingers. It's hot, I'm callused and so heat is not too much. Once stiff, fold into ziplocks. For shooting cut patch work, I can cut perfect patches with A patch knife on the muzzle and still hold the remnant.

Sorry, I tangent to patches rather than lube.

Back to lube, I like Emmert's. Makes the hands soft too.

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frnkeore posted this 04 February 2014

This is my own lube that I call Elco Lube after the name of my machine shop. It is equal parts by weight of BW, Crisco, Vaseline and parafin. These are 200 yard, record targets shot with this lube in competition.

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frnkeore posted this 04 February 2014

Group targets

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Michael K posted this 05 February 2014

 

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Singleshot S.A. posted this 29 January 2016

Hey all, I 've been using Emmerts original lube mix for a while now and find it very good. However, I've just started getting serious with my recent purchase, Pedersoli Rolling block, 40/65 and am finding that the last 3-4 inches of the 32” barrel are dry after each shot.What can I do to improve this.  The bullet I use has quite good grooves and holds a fair amount of lube. I wipe the base when I seat the projectile. As an extra, I sometimes use a wax wad between a poly over powder wad and a poly under bullet wad, but not seeing any improvement there and this also limits my powder charge a little. When I say 'wax wad' I mean it's a .010” Drink Coaster, the type you find at the local Bar, which I soak in melted EMMERTS, which then swells to .020” and cut with a wad punch.Not sure they do anything at this stage but thought I'd give it a go.  Can I scrap the under bullet poly (plastic milk bottle) wad, and leave the bullet to rest up against the wax wad.  I hasten to add that accuracy and consistency is pretty good, at about 60mm  for 100 yards and 10 shots. But can't help but think it can be better. Am I too used to shooting modern jacketed loads where 25mm is the max. Thanks for any help,.... cheers S.S.S.A. PS.... please remember I'm in Australia and not able to get hold of your off the shelf lubes.Hoping I can improve my 'wax wad' Idea, or improve the Emmerts a bit.

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nimrod posted this 29 January 2016

The first thing that I would try is to add some lanolin to you mix about 5%. Another thing to try is to substitute mutton tallow for the Crisco in the Emmerts. Another lube that I have had good success with is John Boy's lube mentioned in an above post.

RB

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Pigslayer posted this 29 January 2016

If you're shooting round ball, I vote for “Old Zip Patch Grease” from Dixie Gun Works.

If someone else had of done to me what I did to myself . . . I'd have killed him. Humility is an asset. Heh - heh.

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Singleshot S.A. posted this 03 February 2016

Hi nimrod,

When you say........ Add 5% Lanolin, do you mean by weight or volume.

If I have a kilogram of Lube (1,000 grams) do I just add 50 grams of Lanolin to the existing mix.

Or... if I have 1 litre (1,000 cc) of melted lube, add 50 cc of Lanolin. ?

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nimrod posted this 03 February 2016

I pretty much always make lube by weight Emmerts recipe is given in weight so I would add 50 grams and see what happens. I would bet that there isn't much difference between 50 grams of lanolin and 50 cc's and it isn't that critical if the lanolin seems to help but not enough add a bit more. Temperature and humidity have a lot to do with how well lube works you may have to adjust to fit your requirements. Good Luck!

RB

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Singleshot S.A. posted this 04 February 2016

Thanks mate.

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.22-10-45 posted this 24 February 2016

Last year I rendered the leaf fat from mutton kidney into a nice pure white firm tallow. Following an 1880 S&W lube formula, I mixed 3 parts tallow to 1 part beeswax for a lube with very near same consistancy of SPG. Mixed up another batch with 1/4 Castor oil for a slightly softer..greaser feeling lube..but still firm and no tendency for oil bleed out. Thought this one would make a good grease cookie. I'll find out this Spring.

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Singleshot S.A. posted this 24 February 2016

My god, you're keen.

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